Critical reading is an essential part of your study. You need to read the books, articles, blogs recommended by your lecturers to get a good understanding of your subject and to be able to engage in discussion as well as complete your assignments. If you have the time, go beyond the recommended reading to explore more. Your lecturers will always have more reading that they can suggest on a given topic. The amount of reading required for your course may feel overwhelming at times, so make the most of the resources available to help you manage your reading and do it more efficiently, such as the Birkbeck Learning Skills module and the Study Skills Resources in Birkbeck Library. The Open University also have a section about Critical Reading Techniques that you may find useful.
Reading for your course will help you progress in your studies. Reading more widely will help you in pretty much any other aspect of your life. The Counselling Service at Birkbeck has put together a list of recommended reading addressing many different aspects of life in their Bibliotherapy section.
The Times Higher Education asked students for their reading recommendations, so take a look and see if there's anything there that will broaden your world and inspire.
Remember that through the Library you have access to books, articles, programmes on such a wide variety of subjects. If you're interested in reading beyond your subject area, then the Library subject guides are a good place to start to learn about where to find information on different subject areas. Happy Reading!
